4 Benefits of Hybrid Apps

When developing or planning a new app, most people quickly encounter a question: Hybrid or native? Most apps are intended to run on multiple systems simultaneously, usually iOS, Android, and possibly as a web app. Therefore, it's essential to understand the advantages, disadvantages, and use cases of these two approaches. Both of these approaches serve their own purpose and are suitable for different projects. However, why we recommend developing a hybrid app (often also called cross-platform and not to be confused with WebView apps) for most use cases during client consultations is something we want to demonstrate here by highlighting four benefits of hybrid apps.

The greatest advantage of hybrid apps has always been that only a single codebase needs to be developed and maintained. While in native app development, a separate app has to be programmed for each supported system, hybrid development follows a universal approach. Only a single app is written, which is then compiled into a native app to run on the common systems. The advantage is clear: Significant savings can be made both in the budget and the time needed for development. Instead of having multiple developers working on different systems, often a single development team can handle the programming for all systems at rocket speed.

This advantage not only applies to the initial development but also in the future. When new features are added or the app needs other maintenance, adjustments can be made within a few working hours and are ready for use on all systems simultaneously. This not only saves costs but is also very pleasing for the users.

Not too long ago, hybrid apps had a bad reputation. During those times, the still popular Ionic Framework emerged, which was a pioneer in its field. Unfortunately, apps programmed this way back then had a massive issue: performance. Even a layperson could easily tell that an app was not optimized for the respective system. Graphics errors, stuttering, and crashes were common.

React Native, however, is far ahead of its reputation. Performance issues are now almost nonexistent. On the contrary, they achieve nearly similar speeds to purely native apps. In most cases, users can no longer tell the difference. This sets them considerably apart from so-called WebView apps, which still struggle with the same issues. WebView apps differ from hybrid apps, which are compiled and optimized into native apps because they simply display a website in a web browser wrapped in an app. Such an approach can never achieve the speed and user experience of native and hybrid apps. Furthermore, this approach has the problem that many system functionalities such as user location or push notifications cannot be used. In contrast, this is not a problem with a hybrid app. Today, it's safe to say that anything that can be developed with a native app can also be implemented with a hybrid app.

This point goes hand in hand with the previous point. Due to the nearly native performance of hybrid apps and the ability to integrate system APIs like Apple Health, HomeKit, or similar, a fantastic user experience is created. And even if a system functionality is not natively supported by the framework used, it is possible for an experienced developer to retrofit it with relatively little effort.

Here, we compare less to a native app and more to the "little brother" – the WebView app. The core advantage over such is that the app can be used independently of an existing internet connection. The app, along with all necessary functionalities, is installed on the user's device and therefore does not need to reload each time it's opened.

Admittedly: With clever use of caching, many web apps can now function offline (known as a PWA, or Progressive Web App). Often, however, certain features do not work without an internet connection, as they cannot access all system APIs and often require a persistent server connection. This problem does not exist with the use of hybrid apps. Moreover, developing a hybrid app is often cheaper than an offline-capable Progressive Web App.

While we are absolutely convinced about hybrid app development, it is not suitable for all types of projects. In certain cases, it makes sense to develop native apps for each supported system. Especially when exceptional performance is crucial for the app's function, a hybrid app – despite its continuously improving performance – may not keep up.